Turfgrass research

This article was originally published in the January 2023 Master Gardener Volunteer News publication. Learn more about the Master Gardener program at the UMN Extension website. Let's talk turf is the first in a new series focusing on turfgrass topics from a social science perspective.

By Michael Barnes

Want to catch up with what our past graduate students and postdocs are doing? Check out our newly updated Alumni page! Our alumni are doing great things in academia and industry and we expect many more great things from them in the future.

Check out our team’s latest efforts in educating the public about our work. Articles about the UMN Turfgrass Science team were featured in the last several editions of the MGCSA's Hole Notes publication.

By Gary Deters

Like most turfgrass areas, a high percentage of our research plots need to be mowed consistently. Our creeping bentgrass research golf greens are cut at 0.125” and the task requires a special mower and reel setup. Many plots are cut at 2.5” to 3.5” with a push or riding mower, similar to what is used by a typical homeowner. So, with all the research plots and mowers we have, you might think we have everything we need to get the job done. In most cases that is true, but for a new trial conducted by members of the turf group, we had a bit of a problem.

By Joan M. Barreto Ortiz

By Gary Deters

As turfgrass managers we have a responsibility to observe the growth of the many varieties, cultivars, and species of turfgrass from seed to maturity. Pretty obvious, right? Observing growth is more than just looking at the turf with our own eyes from day to day. I have mentioned in a previous blog post about the importance of before and after photos and while they can be a great resource (Figure 1), there are more ways to see the progress of growth.

By Andrew Hollman

When people hear that I work with turfgrass, inevitably the question comes up of “what do you do all winter?” The assumption from some people is that when the weather turns cold and you no longer need to mow your lawn, what else is there to be done? If you are involved with the turf industry, you likely know that there is a myriad of things that need to be done after mowing has stopped and before the ground freezes and the snow arrives. Irrigation needs to be blown out, snow mold fungicides sprayed, and covering greens are a few that come to mind for the golf courses.

By Gary Deters

Raise your hand if you thought this was going to be an article about the latest University of Minnesota variety or cultivar of tree. What I am referring to is the tree of learning that extends from the educators and researchers at our university.

When I had my in-person interview with the turfgrass research team, I had the opportunity to walk the hallways of Alderman Hall for the first time in twenty years since I was a turf student. It brought back some great memories of Dr. Don White and my horticulture classmates. Dr. White was a fantastic turfgrass professor, but better yet, he was a very kind and caring person.  

Did you know that the University of Minnesota conducts research on turfgrass seed production in northern Minnesota? If you are interested in learning more, our website now has information on Seed Production Research at Magnusson Research Farm.

By Michael Barnes

This article was originally published on the Low Input Turf Using Fine Fescues blog.